Political commentary from the LA Times

Sarah Palin for president in 2012? Most people polled say no

June 9, 2011 | 8:09
am

Sarah Palin can draw crowds wherever she goes. She can get audiences with billionaires, bikers and conservatives. No question about it, the former governor is interesting. But when it comes to having the hockey mom as the next president of the United States, Americans say "no, thank you," according to a new poll.

Sixty-six percent of likely voters polled by CBS News would not like to see the former beauty queen run for president. Fifty-four percent of Republicans would also take a pass on a Palin bid and half of those who align themselves with the "tea party" give the idea of Palin for president a thumbs-down.

The conservative is often referred to as a "tea party darling" since she espouses many of the limited government beliefs that they do, however only 38% of tea party supporters polled say they want the maverick to try to get the GOP nomination.

With that said, there is a glimmer of hope for Palin and her supporters in the poll. Despite the fact that 36% of likely Republican voters view her as unfavorable -- the highest of any of the would-be and actual GOP candidates -- she is also tied with former Gov. Mitt Romney for the top for those who view her in a favorable light. Thirty-seven percent of likely conservative voters give she and Romney the thumbs-up.

Mysteriously, Texas congressman Ron Paul is nowhere to be seen on the CBS poll that was released Wednesday nor mentioned on the news site's blog post.